Finance committee recommends geological study of Nelson Aquatic Center, cites pool operating funds

The Nelsonville finance committee on Monday evening voted to forward a recommendation to the full council to fund a geotechnical study of the Nelson Aquatic Center and the adjacent playground site at Nelsonville Commons.

The committee said the study is needed both to ensure the ground is safe for playground equipment already purchased and to assess the structural stability of the pool site. The chair opened the meeting at 6:29 p.m. and framed the single agenda item as a funding-source decision.

Auditor staff reviewed cost estimates and the pool operating budget. Committee members referenced an initial contractor quote and worked through rough estimates in the low thousands; one speaker noted a figure of $1,000 per site discussed previously and suggested a single-site study could be in the neighborhood of $2,500. The auditor and committee members said operating lines for chemicals and other expenses had been used but that salary lines for summer pool staff remained intact.

Committee members also reviewed recent pool revenue tracking and noted limitations in the point-of-sale data. Staff explained that seasonal passes register as a single transaction at the time of sale, so a pass-holder’s repeated visits do not increase the transaction count. Members said they had budgeted for a worst-case scenario of roughly 500 family passes and a revenue baseline referenced as $25,000 in earlier budgeting, but actual tracked revenue and transactions were far lower; committee members cited three season-pass transactions and approximately $300 in tracked receipts to date.

Given the available funds in the pool operating budget, a councilmember moved that the committee send the recommendation for a geological study to the full council and ask the city manager to identify the specific funding lines to cover the work. "I make a motion we go to full council. Do give the city manager recommendation on where to get the funds from to do the geological study at the Nelson Aquatic Center," the councilmember said. The motion carried with recorded voice votes of "Aye" from attending members.

The committee said it expects a final accounting after the pool fiscal month closes on June 30, which will confirm the exact available balance and allow the city manager to identify the funding source. The committee adjourned at 6:36 p.m.

Next steps: the recommendation and proposed funding approach will be added to the full council agenda for formal consideration.